dē-curro, cŭcurri or curri (cf.: decucurrit, Caes. B. G. 2, 21; Tac. A. 2, 7; Suet. Ner. 11: decucurrerunt, Caes. B. G. 2, 19, 7; Petr. 64, 3: decucurrerat, Liv. 1, 12: decucurrisse, id. 25, 17; also, decurrerunt, id. 26, 51; 38, 8: decurrēre, Verg. A. 4, 153; 11, 189: decurrisset, Liv. 33, 26), cursum, 3, v. n. and (with homogeneous objects, viam, spatium, trop. aetatem, etc.) a., to run down from a higher point; to flow, move, sail, swim down; to run over, run through, traverse (class. and very freq.). —
I Lit.
A In gen.
α Neutr. : de tribunali decurrit, Liv. 4, 50: Laocoon ardens summa decurrit ab arce, Verg. A. 2, 41; cf.: ab agro Lanuvino, Hor. Od. 3, 27, 3; for which merely with the abl.: altā decurrens arce, Verg. A. 11, 490; cf.: jugis, id. ib. 4, 153: Caesar ad cohortandos milites decucurrit, Caes. B. G. 2, 21; Suet. Ner. 11: ad naves decurrunt, Caes. B. C. 1, 28, 3; cf.: ad mare, Liv. 41, 2: ego puto te bellissime cum quaestore Mescinio decursurum (viz., on board ship), Cic. Fam. 16, 4, 3; cf.: tuto mari, to sail , Ov. M. 9, 591: celeri cymbā, id. F. 6, 77: pedibus siccis super summa aequora, id. M. 14, 50: piscis ad hamum, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 74: monte decurrens velut amnis, id. Od. 4, 2, 5; Liv. 38, 13; Ov. M. 3, 569: uti naves decurrerent, should sail , Tac. A. 15, 43: in insulam quamdam decurrentes, sailing to , Vulg. Act. 27, 16: amnis Iomanes in Gangen per Palibothros decurrit, Plin. 6, 19, 22, § 69: in mare, Liv. 21, 26.— Pass. impers. : nunc video calcem, ad quam cum sit decursum, etc., Cic. Tusc. 1, 8, 15: quo decursum prope jam siet, Lucr. 2, 962.—
β Act. : septingenta milia passuum vis esse decursa biduo? run through , Cic. Quint. 21, 81: decurso spatio ad carceres, id. Sen. 23, 83; cf., with the accessory idea of completion: nec vero velim quasi decurso spatio ad carceres a calce revocari, id. de Sen. 23, 83; and: decursa novissima meta, Ov. M. 10, 597: vada salsa puppi, Cat. 64, 6.—
2 Transf., of the stars (poet.), to accomplish their course : stellaeque per vacuum solitae noctis decurrere tempus, Lucan. 1, 531; cf. lampas, id. 10, 501. —
B Esp., milit. t. t., to go through military exercises or manoeuvres, to advance rapidly, to charge, skirmish , etc.: pedites decurrendo signa sequi et servare ordines docuit, while performing evolutions , Liv. 24, 48; cf. id. 23, 35; 26, 51; 40, 6 al.: ex montibus in vallem, Caes. B. G. 3, 2, 4; cf.: ex omnibus partibus, id. ib. 3, 4: ex superiore loco, Liv. 6, 33: ex Capitolio in hostem, id. 9, 4: ab arce, id. 1, 12: inde (sc. a Janiculo), id. 2, 10 et saep.: incredibili celeritate ad flumen, Caes. B. G. 2, 19, 7.— Pass. impers. : quinto (die) iterum in armis de cursum est, Liv. 26, 51.—
2 Transf., to walk or run in armor , in celebrating some festival (usually in funeral games): (in funere Gracchi tradunt) armatum exercitum decucurrisse cum tripudiis Hispanorum, Liv. 25, 17: ter circum rogos, cincti fulgentibus armis, decurrēre, Verg. A. 11, 189; Tac. A. 2, 7; Suet. Claud. 1 (v. decursio). —
II Trop.
A In gen.
α Neutr. : quin proclivius hic iras decurrat ad acreis, Lucr. 3, 312; 4, 706; 5, 1262: quibus generibus per totas quaestiones decurrimus, go over or through , Quint. 9, 2, 48; cf. id. 10, 3, 17; Plin. 7, 16, 15, § 72: omnium eo sententiae decurrerunt, ut, pax, etc., come to , Liv. 38, 8: ides se non illuc decurrere, quod, Tac. A. 4, 40: ad Philotam, Curt. 7, 1, 28: ad consulendum te, Plin. Ep. 10, 96.— Pass. impers. : decurritur ad leniorem sententiam, they come to , Liv. 6, 19; Quint. 6, 1, 2: sermo extra calcem decurrens, Amm. 21, 1, 14: postremo eo decursum est, ut, etc., Liv. 26, 18; so id. 22, 31; 31, 20; Tac. A. 3, 59.—
β Act., to run or pass through : decurso aetatis spatio, Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 14; and so of one's course of life, id. Merc. 3, 2, 4; Ter. Ad. 860; Ov. Tr. 3, 4, 33; cf.: lumen vitae, Lucr. 3, 1042: noctis iter, Pac. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, p. 6 Müll. (v. 347 Ribb.): vitam, Prop. 2, 15, 41; Phaedr. 4, 1, 2; aetatem (with agere), Cic. Quint. 31 fin. : tuque ades inceptumque unā decurre laborem (the fig. is that of sailing in a vessel; cf. soon after: pelagoque volans da vela patenti), Verg. G. 2, 39 Heyne: ista, quae abs te breviter de arte decursa sunt, treated, discussed , Cic. de Or. 1, 32, 148; cf.: equos pugnasque virum decurrere versu, to sing , Stat. S. 5, 3, 149: prius ... quam mea tot laudes decurrere carmina possint, Auct. Paneg. in Pis. 198.—
B In partic.
1 Pregn.: ad aliquid, to betake one's self to, have recourse to : ad haec extrema et inimicissima jura tam cupide decurrebas, ut, etc., Cic. Quint. 15; so, ad istam hortationem, id. Caecin. 33, 65: ad medicamenta, Cels. 6, 18, 3: ad oraculum, Just. 16, 3: ad miseras preces, Hor. Od. 3, 29, 59: Haemonias ad artes, Ov. A. A. 2, 99; cf.: assuetas ad artes (Circe), id. Rem. Am. 287. Rarely to persons: ad Alexandri exercitum, Just. 14, 2.— Pass. impers. : decurritur ad illud extremum atque ultimum S. C.... DENT OPERAM CONSVLES, etc., Caes. B. C. 1, 5, 3.—
2 Of the heavenly bodies, to set, move downwards : qua sol decurrit meridies nuncupatur, Mel. 1, 1, 1; Manil. 1, 505.—With acc., to traverse , Tib. 4, 1, 160.—
3 In the rhetor. lang. of Quint., said of speech, to run on , Quint. 9, 4, 55 sq.; 11, 1, 6; 12, 9, 2 al.—
4 Proverb., to run through , i. e. to leave off : quadrigae meae decucurrerunt (sc. ex quo podagricus factus sum), i. e. my former cheerfulness is at an end, is gone , Petr. 64, 3.—So, haec (vitia) aetate sunt decursa, laid aside , Coel. in Cic. Fam. 8, 13.